San Antonio commission approves conceptual design for new Hemisfair hotel

“I appreciate our partners for their unwavering perseverance and collaboration. Together with our community, we will create one of the premier resident and visitor destinations in the country,” Zachry said.

The news release said the terraced base of the new hotel will feature ground-floor retail, several restaurants, a rooftop bar and a garden with public art—all accessible to the public at ground level from South Alamo Street and Civic Park, the latter being a sector under development within Hemisfair.

The HPARC said environmentally sustainable elements are found in the hotel design via the use of native stone, lush vegetation and water features integrated throughout the project, reflecting the natural elements created by the Balcones Escarpment that runs through the region.

The release said the hotel’s planned curvature is oriented to provide guests with panoramic views of Hemisfair to the east. The structure will also offer city views to the west and north, overlooking the nearby River Walk and public art piece Torch of Friendship at the corner of Commerce, Market and South Alamo streets.

Overland Partners senior principal Bob Shemwell said in a statement the new Hemisfair hotel will be a positive addition to San Antonio’s downtown skyline.

“With the support of the city and HPARC, Overland Partners and Zachry Hospitality relish the opportunity to construct what will become a signature piece of architecture along San Antonio’s skyline while embracing and celebrating the cultural history and verdant attributes of the park,” Shemwell said.

HPARC officials said the construction of the hotel is expected to begin this fall with the goal of opening up to initial guests in 2025 in time for the NCAA Men’s Final Four tournament.

The news release said the first phase of Hemisfair’s revitalization began in 2015 with Yanaguana Garden, featuring a playground, a splash pad and shaded seating. That revitalization went further with the opening of the The ’68 Apartments, a mixed-income, mixed-use residential tower.

According to the HPARC, the first phase of Civic Park at Hemisfair is expected to open in 2023 and will feature an event lawn with capacity for more than 10,000 people.

Civic Park will also contain five water-filled pools collective named “The Springs” with an underground state-of-the-art water reclamation system. The Springs will be accentuated with limestone stones cut from a quarry in Lueders, Texas, north of Abilene.

According to Skanska, the Civic Park construction contractor, the first stone for The Springs water feature was laid down on Sept. 1, and that the final stone will be laid at The Springs in late November. Project officials will perform water tests there this October.

Skanska representatives also said Civic Park will be marked with 130 locally, pre-grown trees, the planting of which will begin in late December.

Additionally, Civic Park will have a promenade and other features connecting to adjoining parts of Hemisfair.

“Each day Hemisfair is one step closer to creating one of the world’s great public places, and a hotel, especially one that is designed to connect with the rich history of San Antonio while celebrating the natural elements of Hemisfair, helps us reach our goal,” HPARC CEO Andres Andujar said in a statement.

Andujar added the hotel, alongside existing and future residential and commercial development at Hemisfair, will help to improve the Hemisfair neighborhood’s long-term sustainability.